Police say forensic testing confirmed Gretchen Fleming after years of searches and unanswered questions.
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Human remains found in woods south of Parkersburg became the turning point in the Gretchen Fleming case, leading to murder and kidnapping charges against Preston Pierce after years of investigation.
The case now rests on two connected locations: the downtown bar where Fleming was last seen in 2022 and the Wirt County woods where police say her remains were discovered in September 2025. Pierce, 58, has been extradited from North Carolina to West Virginia and has pleaded not guilty to charges tied to her death.
The remains were found nearly three years after Fleming disappeared. Police said the recovery site was in Wirt County, about 20 miles south of Parkersburg, and that extensive forensic testing confirmed the remains were Fleming’s. The finding ended one part of the investigation, the question of whether Fleming would be found alive, but it began another. Investigators then had to connect the body recovery to the final hours before she vanished. Parkersburg police said Fleming had last been seen leaving a downtown establishment with Pierce, and that she left behind her purse and wallet.
Fleming was 27 when she disappeared in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2022. The setting was My Way Lounge in downtown Parkersburg, a local bar in Wood County near the Ohio River. Her family reported her missing Dec. 12 after she had gone more than a week without contact. Police said hundreds of volunteers joined search efforts after the report. Flyers, public attention and local updates kept the case alive while investigators worked through tips and evidence. “After failing to contact family or friends for just over a week, she was reported missing,” police said in a later public account of the case.
Forensic identification became a key step because remains found outdoors after a long period can be difficult to confirm. Officials have not released the full testing method or a detailed condition report. They have said the testing was extensive and that it established the remains were Fleming’s. That confirmation gave prosecutors a body, a location and a formal basis to seek homicide charges. It also raised questions that remain public unknowns, including when Fleming died, whether she was killed in Wood County or Wirt County and how her body came to be in the wooded area.
The indictment came May 15, 2026, when a Wood County grand jury charged Pierce with first-degree murder, felony murder, kidnapping and concealment of a deceased human body. The concealment count ties directly to the allegation that Fleming’s body was hidden after her death. The kidnapping count is central to the felony murder charge, which can apply when a killing occurs during certain serious crimes. Prosecutors have not publicly outlined the full evidence presented to the grand jury. Grand jury proceedings are not trials, and an indictment is a formal accusation, not a finding of guilt.
Pierce was arrested in Buncombe County, North Carolina, the same day the indictment was returned. Authorities said he had left West Virginia, and officers tracked him to the Asheville area. The Parkersburg Police Department said U.S. marshals assisted in the arrest. Pierce later waived his right to an extradition hearing, clearing the way for Parkersburg detectives to coordinate his return. He was brought back to Wood County on June 4 and placed in custody to face the charges. Local court reports later said he pleaded not guilty before Wood County Circuit Judge Jason Wharton.
Police have described Pierce as the man who left the bar with Fleming and later became the focus of the investigation. Earlier in the case, officials said Pierce acknowledged Fleming had been in his vehicle around the time she disappeared but then refused to elaborate. Reports have also identified Pierce as a former police officer who previously used the name Darrell Lott. Those details are likely to become part of the public record as the case moves forward, but the court process will focus on whether prosecutors can prove each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
The search history of the case shows how missing person investigations can change over time. At first, officers and volunteers looked for a woman who had stopped contacting family and friends. Investigators reviewed her last known movements and the people who saw her before she vanished. They asked for information and searched areas where evidence might be found. Later, as time passed, the case stayed open without a public resolution. The September 2025 discovery gave investigators the physical evidence they had lacked in public view, but it did not immediately answer every question.
Wirt County’s role in the case is also significant because it separates the last known sighting from the recovery location. Fleming was last seen in downtown Parkersburg, inside Wood County. Her remains were found in a different county south of the city. That split may affect how investigators present the movement of the victim, any vehicle evidence and the timing of the alleged crimes. It may also require testimony from officers, forensic experts and search personnel who worked outside the city where the disappearance began.
Parkersburg police credited Fleming’s family after announcing Pierce’s extradition and return. The department said the family showed faith, patience and support throughout the process. The statement reflected the long period between the missing person report and criminal charges. Families in such cases often carry the public side of the search while investigators hold back details that could affect a future prosecution. In Fleming’s case, police said they kept working through leads even when they could not release much information.
The legal case is still early. Pierce’s not-guilty plea means prosecutors and defense attorneys will move into pretrial work. That can include evidence requests, motions over search warrants, arguments about statements, expert disclosures and trial scheduling. The defense may examine how the remains were identified, how the recovery site was processed and how investigators connected Pierce to Fleming’s death. Prosecutors may rely on witnesses from the bar, police records, forensic results and evidence gathered during searches and warrants.
Authorities have not announced a trial date or a full public schedule for the case. They have not released a cause of death or a detailed account of the alleged kidnapping. Pierce remains the only publicly charged defendant. The next court filings are expected to show how the state plans to move from a long search and body identification to a murder trial.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.